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[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-microphone”] Match Recap from Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the US Open
Felix Auger-Aliassime advances to Round-3
Felix Auger-Aliassime owns two top-10 victories, both over this year’s #4-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. But he never defeated one of tennis’ legendary “Big-4” — until tonight.
Sure, Andy Murray is currently ranked outside the top-100, recovering from career-extending hip-surgery. But that fact should be completely overshadowed by Felix’s execution. Even 2016 2-time Olympic and Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray would have struggled with Auger-Aliassime’s serve, focus and poise.
In 2011, Andy Murray owned Feliciano Lopez in the 3rd-Round here in Arthur Ashe Stadium. 12-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime was in the stands that night, thanks to a birthday gift from Mom (his birthday is on the 8th of August). Nine years later, he defeated the future Tennis Hall of Famer to reach the US Open’s 3rd-Round for the first time. Poetry.
Up next, Felix faces either “The Tornado” Corentin Moutet or Dan Evans. Interrupted by rain, their 2nd-Round match is locked at one set apiece, with Moutet up 6-5 in the third. In other words, Auger-Aliassime’s opponent won’t have a full day of rest before the 3rd-Round. Should Felix emerge the victor, it will be the deepest run the 21-year-old has ever enjoyed at a Major.
Head to Head: First meeting between these two players
[15] Felix Auger-Aliassime -21- (CAN) | Round-2 Announcer Introduction
He persevered in a near 4-hour, Round-1 marathon on Tuesday – defeating Thiago Monterio to reach the 2nd-Round of the US Open for the first time. From Canada, making his Arthur Ashe Stadium debut, Felix Auger-Aliassime.
- R2 — W | Andy Murray -115- (GBR)| Score: 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
- R1 — W | Thiago Monteiro -83- (BRA) | Score: 6-3, 6-7(7), 7-6(6), 7-6(6)
Andy Murray -115- (GBR) | Round-2 Announcer Introduction
On Tuesday, down 2-sets and a break – he made a remarkable comeback, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in 4-hours and 38-minutes to reach tonight’s 2nd-Round match. From Great Britain, 2012 US Open Champion Andy Murray.
- R1 — L | [15] Felix Auger-Aliassime -21- (CAN) | Score: 2-6, 3-6, 4-6
- R1 — W | Yoshihito Nishioka -49- (JPN) | Score: 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-4 | RECAP
A New Reality | 2020 US Open Tennis Championships
In late February and early March, announcer Andy Taylor compèred two of the final professional tennis events before the global coronavirus pandemic put the skids on the 2020 season. In Doha, he hosted Aryna Sabalenka’s relentless run to the Qatar Total Open title. Then in Honolulu, he emceed Team USA’s Davis Cup Qualifier victory over Uzbekistan. Including Bob and Mike Bryan’s final professional match.
As U.S. coronavirus cases continued to mount, the day following Team USA’s 4-0 victory, all professional sports came to a grinding halt. Over the next five months, as Americans stayed home and “socially distanced,” nearly 6-million contracted the illness. Tragically, over 180-thousand perished. Worldwide, COVID-19 killed over 840-thousand and sickened 25-million (at the time of this writing).
New York hosts the resumption of the 2020 tennis season
Early on, New York City was the epicenter of COVID’s outbreak. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center became prime real estate for New York’s coordinated pandemic response. Additionally, the state used Louis Armstrong Stadium as a warehouse to pack meals for patients, front-line workers and students dependent on the city’s school lunch program.
In late July, after New York “flattened the curve,” Governor Cuomo green-lighted the USTA’s plans to resume the 2020 tennis season in Flushing. Without fans. Without qualifying. Rather, the Western & Southern Open moved from Cincinnati to the grounds of the US Open. Furthermore, the USTA implemented strict COVID-19 testing policies. It limited the number in each player’s entourage. Additionally, it created a protective “Bubble” for all tournament participants at nearby hotels and on-site.
Andy Taylor | 19th US Open Tennis Championships
After a five month pause, with the coronavirus “politicized” and still spreading unchecked through portions of the population, Andy was hesitant when asked to be a part of the sport’s return. However, after carefully considering the USTA’s extensive health and safety protocols, he soon realized the US Open could in fact be one of the safest environments to avoid COVID’s spread.
Masks are mandatory. For crew, testing occurs every fourth day. To ensure best broadcast quality, the USTA understood that Arthur Ashe Stadium’s announcer would need to work without a mask. Therefore, they isolated Andy in his own booth. Thus, keeping production team members free from aerosols emitted during player introductions.
Rather than fly, Andy drove to Flushing. He uses his own vehicle to shuttle back and forth from the hotel to the venue, which limits his exposure to others. Additionally, this allowed Andy to bring his own hot plate and coffee machine, completely eliminating the need for others to bring him meals and supplies. Essentially, the Voice of the US Open is working from a bubble within “The Bubble.” Responsibly limiting contact with colleagues and players as much as humanly possible.
A new Grand Slam Global Pandemic Presentation
With the global emphasis on social distancing to avoid further outbreaks of COVID-19, the world of sport production is reinventing “the show” by harnessing new technologies that have emerged over the past decade. As always, the core goal is to meet fans where they are.
In other words, with fans exclusively watching on television – or on-the-go through mobile devices – the 2020 US Open “stadium show” is now geared toward the camera, rather than the ticket holder. This year, Andy and the stadium production team are working closely with ESPN to integrate the broadcast and stadium presentations. Instead of narrating player introductions exclusively for fans on site, intros and all aspects of the stadium show are now part of the broadcast product streamed to fans worldwide.
The true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention.
Jowett | English translation of Plato’s “Republic”
Live sport presentation is a brave new world. Through perseverance and bold experimentation, the US Open continues to innovate; determined to feed each tennis fan’s hunger after five months of the world’s new and humbling collective-reality.
